New Missile Test By US Proves Country Prepared To Leave INF Well In Advance - Beijing

BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th December, 2019) Washington's recent ballistic missile test proves that the country used to prepare for tests of missiles banned under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty well ahead of withdrawing from the deal officially, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, said on Friday.

US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper praised on Thursday the successful test of the INF-banned ground-based missile, noting that it had taken less then nine months, instead of the usual two years, to go from concept to launch. Russian lower house lawmaker Andrei Krasov told Sputnik earlier on Friday that nine months were not enough for this.

"Since August 2 of this year, when the United States announced withdrawing from the INF Treaty, the Pentagon has already conducted two tests of ground-based missiles. Pentagon chief Esper said proudly that the US had started preparing for these tests in February of this year. I want you to take note that the US officially announced withdrawing from the INF on August 2, but the Pentagon chief said they had started preparing for the tests in February already. This substantiates once again our previous estimates that the US has reasoned out withdrawing from the INF well in advance," Hua said at a briefing.

Hua added that Washington's decision to leave the INF had been motivated only by its desire to secure military supremacy through developing advanced missile technologies.

"The US' twisting [of the facts] about Russia's violations of the agreement and China's missile threat is nothing more than a clumsy performance aimed at deceiving others," Hua added.

The INF Treaty, signed by the US and the Soviet Union in 1987, was terminated on August 2 at the US' initiative after it formally suspended its INF obligations six months earlier. Russia has repeatedly dismissed Washington's accusations of violating the agreement.